The present invention relates in general to the field of recycling systems and more particularly to a system and method for the collection and storage of liquids, including liquid waste products, such as spent grease produced by food preparation establishments. In the commercial food preparation industry, issues relating to the generation, handling, and disposal of spent cooking grease are matters implicating critical environmental regulations, employee safety concerns, and cost considerations. Every restaurant, cafeteria, and commercial kitchen generates some amount of spent cooking grease and, therefore, must face these issues.
A common view of managing spent grease is to dispose of it as any other waste material. Oftentimes, this solution includes the practice of simply running the material down waste drainage pipes or disposing of the grease in common garbage dumpsters. Today, significant restrictions mandate a radical departure from such practices. Federal authorities, armed with the Clean Water Act, and most local authorities, empowered with similar legislation, have imposed strict requirements regulating the dumping of untreated waste materials. To comply with federal and local environmental laws, restaurants may turn to publicly owned waste treatment facilities that dispose of spent grease for a fee. As an alternative, restaurants may turn to local garbage disposal companies that manage dumpsters. Restaurants and other food preparation establishments frequently pay additional fees to these garbage disposal firms for the disposal of spent grease. As another alternative, restaurants may use contractors that are in the business of collecting and disposing of only spent grease.
Another factor governing the food preparation industry""s handling of spent grease is the recognition that spent grease in high volumes is a valuable commodity and may be sold to recyclers who, in turn, sell to brokers for use in products such as feed additives. The market price that recyclers are willing to pay for spent grease fluctuates, as with any commodity. During periods of high demand, a restaurant may demand up to five cents per gallon from a recycler. During periods of low demand, there is little incentive for a recycler to pick up and resell the commodity, especially from restaurants that produce low volumes of the product. A recycler may even refuse to pick up spent grease at a restaurant unless the recycler is paid for its pickup and disposal service.
Faced with regulatory requirements and the economic effect of grease as a commodity, many restaurant establishments find it more advantageous to enlist the services of recyclers that specialize in collecting and selling spent grease. At the same time, many recyclers facing low grease prices are forced to improve their business practices in order to realize narrow profit margins in the business of recycling spent grease.
During periods of low demand for the commodity of spent grease, such as the present time, recyclers are able to make only modest capital investments. Recyclers seek to minimize the operational cost of collecting and processing spent grease while simultaneously increasing the volume of spent grease processed. To state the challenge facing recyclers in a different way, on each service trip that a recycler makes to a restaurant for pickup of spent grease, the volume of grease picked up must be sufficiently high, to justify the cost of the pickup and processing. Therefore, where volume is a determining economic factor in the recycling business, advancements in the collecting and recycling of the commodity become critical to recyclers.
Presently, recyclers that provide recycling services to restaurants typically request that a restaurant begin the process by manually removing spent grease from vats of frying appliances and by storing the spent grease in barrels typically located behind the restaurant. It is not uncommon for thieves to steal these barrels during periods when spent grease commands a high price. Other recyclers provide a restaurant with a portable vacuum machine that collects spent grease from frying appliances and stores the grease until such time that the recycler arrives for pickup. The use of these common portable vacuum machines has revealed numerous operational and safety pitfalls.
The most bothersome operational pitfall of current portable vacuums relates to serviceability. Current portable vacuums typically embody a design that requires the entire machine to be removed from a restaurant and to be disassembled when repair service is necessary. Removal of the machine disrupts and delays normal business operations in the restaurant. Further, the removal of a machine for repair generates additional labor and transportation costs to the recycler and may diminish the already slim profit margins of the recycler. Therefore, a need has arisen for a method of servicing portable liquid collection units without having to remove the whole machine from the restaurant and without having to disassemble the machine for every repair.
Another operational drawback of current portable vacuum units is that there is not a method for effectively heating during storage mode, when the grease is stored in the unit prior to pickup by the recycler. Know portable vacuum units may employ heating systems that are unreliable or that heat the grease to unnecessarily high temperatures, far above the temperature necessary to prevent the grease from coagulating. Another problem of heating the grease tank to an excessively high temperature is that doing so poses safety risks to operators, increases the energy cost to restaurants, and subjects the machines to excessive wear and tear.
Another common operational pitfall of known portable vacuum units concerns safety. In normal restaurant operations, many accidents are related to the exposure of restaurant personnel to hot grease and spilled grease. Many restaurant injuries are related to grease handling. Common problems occur, for example, when restaurant workers (1) spill hot grease, having temperatures as high as 350xc2x0 F., on themselves while transferring grease from vats of frying appliances to storage barrels; (2) spill grease onto the floor, causing employees to slip and fall; or (3) spill grease onto the ground in the parking lot, causing customers of the restaurant to slip and fall. The effects of these problems raise significant safety concerns for restaurants and further add to the cost of insurance and workers"" compensation coverage.
A portable liquids collection unit is provided that performs the functions of collecting, storing, and disposing of spent grease generated by restaurant establishments. The device includes a tank capable of storing a large quantity of spent grease, a vacuum motor to draw in grease, and a selection of components to monitor and control the liquid level and temperature inside the tank. The vacuum motor creates vacuum pressure in the tank, causing the suction of liquids into the tank when a suction hose from the tank is disposed in a liquid reservoir. The portable unit includes a detachable plate mounted on the top surface of the tank. Attached to the detachable plate are the suction motor and other components of the units that may require service from time to time. The serviceable components of the device are thus coupled to a detachable plate. A down-tube coupled to the plate terminates in a dimple formed in the tank. The dimple acts as a reservoir and a collection point for drawing fluid out of the tank. A heating pad or plate is disposed a distance in the tank and a distance above the bottom surface of the tank.
One advantage of the invention described herein is a portable liquids collection unit. For a heavy device that may hold hot materials, ease in moving the device is a highly desirable attribute for restaurant establishments and recyclers. Furthermore, by its design, which incorporates backup thermostats and a large heating pad conducive to high-convection currents, the device prevents coagulation of grease and requires less heat to maintain grease at desired temperature. The protruding dimple of the bottom surface of the tank provides an effective collection point for drawing liquids out of the tank.
Another advantage is that the invention utilizes operations that make it safer for all workers, including those at restaurant establishments and recyclers. The device uses vacuum pressure and a service wand to draw grease into an enclosed tank, providing a safe way for workers at restaurant establishments to capture spent grease. Moreover, the device prevents grease from flowing out of the tank and limits the volume of grease that could spill onto the floors on which workers may slip.
Another advantage is that the invention reduces the costs to recyclers in the business of collecting and disposing of spent grease The unit includes a detachable plate on which major components of the device are mounted, enabling the device to be serviced by removing only the minimum number of components and without removing the entire device from the establishment. Removal of the entire device from the food preparation establishment each time servicing was necessary would interfere with normal business operations of the restaurant and generate additional labor and transportation costs to the recycler.
Other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following specification, claims, and drawings.